Our Mission
We create opportunities across Africa for rural entrepreneurs with tools and services to efficiently process, save, and sell more food.
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we specialize in postharvest technology solutions with a longstanding devotion to helping rural communities be self-sufficient in developing a locally sourced and nutritious food supply. By making appropriate postharvest tools and services more accessible, small businesses and farmers increase their incomes, more jobs are created, and Africa feeds herself and the world.
Our Approach
Postharvest Tools
Our tools help make processing crops and foods more efficient by reducing processing time, increasing output, improving food quality and decreasing postharvest losses. Our current portfolio includes a multi-crop grinder, peanut sheller and millet thresher. As we expand our programs, we focus on identifying existing technologies and developing local partnerships to make tools more accessible in rural communities.
Business Development & Training Resources
Postharvest technologies are just one step to helping rural communities increase their food production. We also work with entrepreneurs to develop and expand small businesses that provide crop and food processing services to farmers. Additionally, we train women farmer groups and entrepreneurs on business and marketing development, food science and safety, technical support, and value-added food production.
Impact
Food Security & Nutrition
By transitioning from traditional manual methods of processing food to improved postharvest technologies, rural communities are able to increase the quantity of food produced - both feeding their families and increasing their household income. Crops are less likely to be damaged and contaminated, resulting in higher quality food products available in domestic markets while making local access to nutritious food more reliable.
Inclusive Growth
When certain groups of people are held back in ways that make it more difficult for them to advance on an individual level, it also limits the economic potential of entire communities and nations. Growth must be shared by everyone–no matter their gender, age, or income level. With our tools and training we cultivate programs that are appropriate, effective, and accessible to all, particularly women, youth and small-scale rural entrepreneurs.
Diversified Incomes
Households can diversify their income sources by engaging with Bountifield programs. Tools can be rented out to nearby farms, increased yields can be sold at the market, and value-added products can be produced and sold as part of new and expanded food businesses. This increases incomes for families and improves not only their quality of life, but the quality of life of entire communities with more locally available food.
Over 750,000 people have benefited from Bountifield tools since our founding in 1981.
26,000 people with access to tools to produce food products through 2 Food Technology Centers in Malawi.
600 small-scale entrepreneurs took part in business and food safety trainings in 2019.